Joel has worked for Rhodes for 41 years - since his 16th birthday! Come meet this fixture in the Rhodes community.
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Joel Ockenga: King of the Drop Test

Joel Ockenga is a native of Iowa and started working at the age of 10 on the family farm. As a boy growing up on a farm, Joel is no stranger to hard work.

Joel began working at Rhodes on his 16th Birthday in September, 1969 at the former Rhodes Production Plant in Nevada, Iowa. Most of his family members have worked at Rhodes at some point in time including his father, mother, and sister. His wife, Debbie works for Rhodes answering Customer Satisfaction Calls and his son Quinton works part-time at the Caldwell, ID plant in the Maintenance Department.

Over the past 41 years, Joel has served in many positions at Rhodes including line operator, mixer, supervisor, and Asst. Plant Manager. Today he is the Production Manager at the Caldwell, ID plant and he assists with replenishment for Wal-Mart. Joel even has a famous product drop test named after him, in which he throws Rhodes products from high places to make sure the bags are unlikely to burst open in shipping.

Joel is known both for his strong work ethic (he will do whatever it takes to make Rhodes successful) and his great sense of humor. He is famous around Rhodes for his pranks, but he is good on the receiving end as well. A couple years ago, his co-workers painted his office a lovely pink color. Joel thought it was pretty funny. Joel serves as an Elder in the Seventh Day Adventist Church. He also used to breed and show Chow Chow Dogs and at one time had 13 dogs. Today, he has one Chow and a Beagle as pets.

Joel is passionate about Rhodes and he enjoys baking the products in their home. He is another example of why Rhodes is a great place to work.